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Willard School Newsletter
25 February 2010
Issue 21
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2010
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY 'SATURDAY
21 22 23

24
RSVP for PAL

Carnival Committee Meeting, 7:30pm, Labadini Home, 154 Southfield Road

 25
Joint PTG Meeting, 7:30pm, Thoreau School Auditorium

26
Parent at Lunch Day

Open Circle Parent Workshop, First session. 10:-11:15am, Counselor's Office

 27
Willard Spelling Bee, 1-4pm, Auditorium
28 1 2
Early Release		 3 4

5
Superintendent's Tea, 2:45pm, Peabody Library

 6
7 8

9
Early Release

METCO Dessert & Discussion, 7pm, Thoreau Cafeteria

 10 11 12
Family Math Night, 6-8pm, Cafeteria		 13

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK

Staff and students have returned to school this week with renewed vigor after a restful vacation week.

Students have recently concluded the Annual Geography Quest. It appears that this year's Quest had a high level of participation. Thank you to Geography Quest Chair, Alane Wallis, and her committee. Students always enjoy this event.

Plans are underway for our 2010 Kindergarten Registration. Letters have been sent to families listed on the town census who have children of kindergarten age (5 years of age by August 31st). This is not a completely accurate system, since families who are new to Concord are not yet represented on the town census. Likewise, sometimes there are discrepancies on the census and existing Willard families, who have a child of kindergarten age, are not listed on the census. If you have a child who is eligible for kindergarten this fall and you have not received a letter with a return postcard, please contact the Willard office. In addition, if you know of any family who has a child who is eligible for kindergarten in September, and they have not received a kindergarten mailing, please ask them to call the Willard office. Thank you for your help.

The Annual Willard Spelling Bee, which is organized by grade level, is scheduled to begin this Saturday at 1:00 PM.  Preregistration was required to participate in this PTG-sponsored event which is chaired by Leah Levinger, Jessica Dudley, and Alisa Gray. Several Willard staff members have volunteered to assist in the operation of the Bee. The following staff members will be assisting: Kate Reid (Pronouncer), Janice Shear, Kate Fitzgerald, Mary-Kate Fitzgerald, Kathi Phillips, Amy Wylie, Susan Halter, Kim Rivers, and Sharon Hehn. All Willard families are welcome to attend the Bee on Saturday. I look forward to seeing many families at the Spelling Bee in the new Willard auditorium.

The Willard School Advisory Council is planning to hold a meeting in Boston with METCO families on March 18th at 6:30 PM. Members of the Family Friends program and members of the PTG Board will also attend. This is an opportunity to provide outreach to our METCO families by scheduling a meeting in Boston for the convenience of our Boston parents.

Many contractors and district maintenance staff invested time at Willard over vacation week. Willard District Maintenance Director David Anderson is overseeing this work. Community groups are able to arrange to use the building as of March 1st.

As always, thank you for all you do for Willard School.
- Pat Fernandes

Kindly submit articles for inclusion in the Willard Weekly to the editor, Christine Evans, at willardweekly@willardptg.org
Deadline for submission is Wednesday at 4pm.

 

WILLARD NEWS AND EVENTS

JOINT PTG MEETING

The Joint PTG meeting will be held on tonight, Thursday, February 25th in the Thoreau School auditorium starting at 7:30pm. We are lucky to have the Nutrition Coalition presenting on their efforts to improve the nutritional quality of school lunches. All Willard parents are invited to attend.

OPEN CIRCLE PARENT WORKSHOP - STARTS TOMORROW!

Come learn what your child is learning in Open Circle! Willard School Counselor Julee Vitello is offering a 4-week parent workshop (2/26, 3/5, 3/12, and 3/26) at 10:00am during which you can learn some of the concepts and vocabulary, learn tips for problem-solving common issues such as sibling conflicts and family communication, and exchange ideas with other parents. Space is limited to 10, so please register now! For more information and a registration form, click here. If you have any questions, contact Julee Vitello at jvitello@colonial.net or 978-341-2490, extension 4165.

SPELLING BEE - SATURDAY!
olympic rings

Come to the Bee!

Come see your classmates, friends and neighbors in the 2010 Willard Spelling Bee
Saturday, February 27, 2010. 1:00-4:00pm. Free admission.

3rd grade begins at 1:00
4th grade begins at 2:00
5th grade begins at 2:45

METCO DESSERT & DISCUSSION

The Concord-Carlise METCO Program and the METCO Family Friends Council present an evening of dessert and discussion. Please join us for a panel discussion about the METCO Program. Hear perspectives from students, teachers, alumni, and parents about their METCO experiences. Transportation provided to and from Boston. All families are welcome to attend. Click here to learn more.

OLYMPIC MATH NIGHT
olympic rings Experience the Olympics first hand - at Willard! The 2010 Willard Family Math Night is sporting Olympic themed math fun and games. Join friends and parents on Friday March 12th from 6-8 pm at the Willard Cafeteria. Volunteers are needed to work the game tables. Please contact your Willard room parents or Lori Cook at slcpcook@comcast.net.

BOXTOP$ CONTEST RESULTS
The Winter BoxTop$ Collection Contest is over, and the winning classes are:
  • K - Mrs. Gluck
  • 1 - Mrs. Donaghue
  • 2 - Ms. Lehn (2nd grade was really close) difference was like 10 boxtops between the 3 classes, this is why every boxtops counts.
  • 3 - Mrs. Fitzgerald
  • 4 - Mrs. Squire
  • 5 - Mrs. Lyons

Prizes are still being negotiated but will be made available soon.

Thank you to everyone who participated. As a school we collected a total of 3,570 BoxTop$. That translates to a lot of extra supplies for the school! And, don't worry if your class didn't win - keep collecting and sending them in, the next contest will end in June!

HELP NEEDED

The Willard PTG website is getting a face lift! We are adding more information and hopefully making it more useful to Willard parents. The new site is in the final stages of development and we need feedback from YOU! Please visit the test version of the site at www.willardptg.org/test, click around, and send your ideas, comments, and suggestions to willardweekly@willardptg.org. Prizes will be granted to anyone offering constructive feedback!


COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS

FREE FILM SERIES FOR ALL AGES!

The Concord Historical Collaborative presents: Concord in the Movies. At the Concord Museum (French Hall). Free refreshments by Dunkin Donuts of Concord.

  • Sunday, March 7, 1-5 PM
    An early Louisa May Alcott story, The Inheritance, and Nathaniel Hawthorne's suspenseful Twice Told Tales, including Rappacini's Daughter, with Vincent Price.
  • Sunday, March 28, 1-5 PM
    Biographical films on three of Concord's foremost transcendentalist thinkers, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, and Henry David Thoreau.

CONCORD'S UNTOLD REVOLUTION

On Friday, March 5th at 7:00 pm, the Drinking Gourd Project will present a screening and discussion of Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North. This award-winning film documents the DeWolf family's journey to retrace their legacy of Northern slave trading - from Rhode Island to slave forts in Ghana to sugar plantation ruins in Cuba. A discussion with family members follows the film. Historian Jayne Gordon will address the life stories and struggle for freedom of early African residents of Concord, as well as the town's leadership in the Abolitionist movement.

Come find out how the Drinking Gourd Project is leading an effort to save the Caesar Robbins house, built in 1780 by a freed man and Revolutionary War patriot. The goal is to move the house close to its original location near The North Bridge and restore it as an educational center focused on Concord's African & Abolitionist history. This free event will be held at The Concord Art Association, 37 Lexington Road. For further information, contact the Drinking Gourd Project at drinkinggourd.cchumanrights.org

TANGLEWOOD MARIONETTES PRSENT DRAGON KING

Concord Children's Center invites you to join us at a Tanglewood Marionettes presentation of the Dragon King, an underwater fantasy based on Chinese folklore that will thrill children and adults alike. Sunday March 7, 2010 @ 4 PM. Emerson Umbrella, 40 Stow Street. Tickets are $9 in advance, $10 at the door with a $35 maximum for a family. Advance tickets are available at: The West Concord 5 & 10, The Concord Bookshop, The Toy Shop, Auntie Erls in Bedford and the Learning Express in Acton. For more information call Concord Children's Center at 978-369-3747.

WORKSHOP: HELPING CHILDREN TO COMMUNICATE AND CONNECT

Helping Children to Communicate and Connect
Presenter: Adam J. Cox, Ph.D.
Communication is the thread that binds our lives together, leading to connection, empathy, and a sense of belonging. This workshop discusses the roots of great communication at school and within families. Both verbal and nonverbal communication will be discussed with an emphasis on how teachers and parents can coach children and adolescents to be socially expressive. This presentation helps to clarify which kinds of communication obstacles grow from a child's temperament, and which ones may be related to problems with learning or attention. Suggested interventions will be related to breakthrough research on the social brain, and what it tells us about gender differences and reasonable expectations for various phases of child development. Practical suggestions for helping kids who may be shy, angry, or resistant will be provided, along with some quick and unique assessment strategies to help you understand a child's processing style and communication needs.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Regis College, Weston, MA. Fee: FREE

UPCOMING CPT PROGRAMS

The Center for Parents and Teachers is offering several workshops for parents in March. Pre-register now for workshops by emailing: amartinez@colonial.net or calling 978-202-1143. Please visit our website: centerforparentsandteachers.org. Upcoming programs include:

  • "Helping Kids Thrive: Bullying Prevention" with Lisa Sjostrom.
    Thursday evening, March 4, 7-9PM. No fee, no registration required.
  • "How to Talk So Kids will Listen and Listen So Kids will Talk" with Cyndie White.
    Thursday evenings: March 18, 25, April 1, 8, 15 from 7-8:30PM. Registration required. Fee: $110 (includes cost of workbook) Limited to 12 (and it fills up fast!)
  • "You Can't Make Me!" - for parents of 3-9 year olds - with Bill Gresser.
    3 Wednesday evenings: March 24, 31 and April 7 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. Fee: $60-75 Sliding scale. Pre-registration required. Limited to 12.
  • "Raising Your Challenging Child" facilitated by Patricia Marquis.
    Monday evenings: March 29, Apr. 5, 12, 26, May 3, 10, 17, 24 from 7-8:30PM at Ripley Building, Conf. Room 1. Pre-registration required. Limited to 12. No fee.

For more information on each of these programs, click here.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

The Nutrition Coalition is a group of concerned parents and community members, health professionals, professional chefs and food service experts, teachers, gardeners, cooks and "foodies" who are working with the Concord Public School administration toward three goals: removing unhealthy additives from lunches; establishing a robust farm-to-school program that incorporates food purchased from local farms, while preserving Concord's agricultural heritage and open space; and, establishing school gardens and food-related curricula that would give our children (and their families) hands-on experience with growing food, while providing valuable lessons about health, the environment, and sustainability. Please contact Hilary Boynton (hilary@boyntoncompany.com), Pamela Hathaway (plhathaway@comcast.net), or Becky Shannon (beckysmail@comcast.net) for more information or to join the Coalition.

There is still time to register for the spring 2010 Season of Concord Carlisle Youth Baseball and Softball. Registration ends February 28th. Please visit our web site, www.ccyb.org, to register and for additional information about all programs offered by CCYB.